Mr. John Finucane:

Regarding Deputy Pringle's point concerning the background of prison officers, I have witnessed the influx of many young prison officers who appear to have been brought in. I am not convinced their background would be representative of the population within Northern Ireland. The prison environment has been a very male dominated one. The Prison Officers Association has been referred to as a boys' club. That needs to change, not only the religious background but the gender of the people being brought through in the way in which the PSNI was basically forced to go along that journey.

On Deputy Ó Cuív's questions with regard to the thinking of the inmates and the rationality, if there is any doubt about that, it should be put to them. If there are questions about their integrity or whether they are able to stand over their side of any agreement, that should be put it up to them. I began my opening statement by saying that if we were dealing with an issue that was solely the cause of the prisoners, they would deserve all the criticism that they get. From my experience in dealing with inmates who are part of the discussions within the jail about what they are prepared to sign up to, they come at this with a large degree of thought and consideration. It is not something that they rush into. It is very different from the demands of prisoners in other parts of the prison.

With regard to the Deputy's description of the security make-up within Maghaberry Prison, I had cause to see a client last year in Arbour Hill and I attended there with a barrister and the two of us spent the first five minutes laughing. It took us a matter of seconds to get from parking the car to sitting down waiting on the client being brought to see us. This was somebody who had been held in Arbour Hill for 20 years; it was not somebody who was a very low-level risk. Within Maghaberry Prison, it takes at least 45 minutes to an hour from the time I park my car to the time I see the client. That is a reflection of the fingerprinting, the dogs and the number of doors I would go through. It comes back to what I said previously with regard to the cost. I do not think anybody is getting value for money from Maghaberry Prison.